Back to California
by starryskyangel1
Summary: OTH&OC crossover. Brooke Davis comes to the OC, from her small town Tree Hill, and immediately is accepted into the high society. Seth Cohen is still trying to find his place in Newport. What directions will they take? BrookeSeth
1. Finding Something Er Rather

**Back to California**

* * *

Author's Note: If you don't watch One Tree Hill or The OC, just think of the other character as being an original character. You don't need to knowthe background of either person, what is needed will be provided.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Finding Something. . .Er. . . Rather. . . Someone_

Brooke Davis looked sadly at her red suitcase filled with the precious designer label clothes she had left. It wasn't that she was totally superficial, but a girl likes to have a good wardrobe. She fingered the soft leather of her BCBG jacket. Brooke used to have a closet full of expensive clothes, and now only a meek few were left. Ones that she begged her parents to keep and the ones that she hid from them.

Maybe she'd have Felix buy her clothes for her the next time they went to the mall . . .

"Brooke!" Her mother called from downstairs.

Brooke sighed, flipping her hair away from her face. She pulled on the handle of the suitcase and nearly fell down when the full weight of the suitcase was in her hands. Brooke waddled to the stairs, her suitcase held with both hands. She started down the large Victorian staircase. Slowly and shakily, she lowered the suitcase down step-by-step. God, she would probably fall down at any moment and roll down the stairs, breaking her neck. Then have the suitcase land on top of her. How glamorous.

Brooke glanced helplessly at her mother. Hopelessly a society mother, the middle-aged bottle blond stood disapprovingly at her only daughter. With hands on her hips, she frowned. That is, if she could make any facial expression, from the large amount of injections of Botox. "Mother? A little help?"

Her mother continued to stand with her hands on her hips. "Brooke, what have you been doing all this time? I thought you did cheerleading. Surely, that gives you some strength. You can do it fine yourself." She walked away.

Great, just fucking great

_

* * *

_

Seth Cohen lay sprawled across his bed. Considering his bed was only a double, his lanky body frame hung from the sides. He held Captain Oats in front of him. "Why would Summer fall for someone like him? A guy like Zach? I mean sure he's all knowledgeable about comic books, which would totally be attractive if I were a girl, which I'm not. But, he's a water polo player! Do you think he shaves his chest?"

Seth listened intently to Captain Oat's answer.

"Yeah, you're right. He probably does."

Seth gingerly placed the plastic toy horse back in his place on the nightstand. Seth flopped back onto his bed. Seth felt like old times, him being the big dork with no social life. Here he was on a Friday night, alone in his house talking to Captain Oats. Ryan was out with some girl on a date.

Seth closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of the newly washed bed sheets Rosa put on his bed.

It was as if Ryan never came to Newport.

* * *

Brooke looked at the address written on the scrap of paper. She looked up at the number on the doorway. _This is it! _Brooke thought. She stretched up to reach the golden knocker on the door. Once the resounding knocks echoed through the house, Brooke leaned back and stood aside her suitcase.

A familiar woman with fire-red hair and piercing green eyes answered the door.

"Aunt Julie?" Brooke asked tentatively.

Her aunt greeted Brooke with a look of mock delight. "Brooke! I haven't seen you for such a long time!" she cooed.

Brooke put on the best smile she could muster. "Uncle Jimmy told you that I was coming, right?"

Julie Cooper frowned at the sound of her ex-husband's name. "Your Uncle Jimmy and I aren't married any more."

Brooke wasn't surprised. Marriages in her family were always unhappy.

"Juju! Who is at the door," a gruff voice reverberated through the Spanish-styled houses. A balding man with silver hair and a stern look on his face appeared at the doorway, looking at Brooke with disdain. "Who's this?" he directed to wife.

Brooke noticed the flinch in her aunt's face as he slightly touched Julie's arm. A light bulb clicked in Brooke's mind. _Aunt Julie must have married this guy. _This guy was probably loaded. But Julie missed one of the top rules in gold-digging matrimony.

**Rule #25: If you married an old guy simply for his money, and he is unbearable, make sure he will die in a few years.**

"Caleb honey, this is my niece Brooke. She will be staying with us from now on," Julie said soothingly, hoping that he wouldn't be too upset that she was coming to stay with them for awhile.

Caleb narrowed his eyes and appraised Brooke. "Did you get knocked up?"

Julie stiffened.

Brooke was aghast and outraged. The nerve of him! How dare he say such a thing? "Excuse me?" she asked haughtily.

"Brooke, darling, why don't you go up to see Marissa and get settled in? She's the second bedroom to the right up the stairs," Julie said with saccharine.

Brooke took a deep breath and lugged the suitcase into the house. She rolled it over the expensive polished wooden floors and then stopped at the bottom of the large staircase. She looked up at the expanse of steps. _Great. Another stairs to climb with this heavy thing which I will probably roll down. My life is one hell of a recurring trend. _As Brooke lugged her suitcase up, step-by-step, she could hear her aunt and "Caleb" argue fiercely. Brooke cringed as something made of glass shattered downstairs.

Brooke rolled her suitcase to the shut white door. She knocked hesitantly on her older cousin's door.

"Go away!" A pissed off reply came through the door.

Brooke stood stunned. "M?" she whispered, using a childhood nickname.

The door creaked open as a disheveled Marissa Cooper appeared. "Brooke?"

Brooke and Marissa both screamed at the exact same time in ecstasy. As they embraced, Brooke tried to push the strong smell of alcohol from Marissa from her mind.

Marissa quickly ushered Brooke into her room. The sound of their chatting drifted from the door even through the screaming downstairs.

* * *

The California sun was shining, and Newport was bright and warm. The students of Harbor High School were getting out of their cars and hanging out before school started.

Brooke Davis was the most popular girl in Tree Hill High school back in Tree Hill. She turned heads everywhere she went. People just had to look at her.

Nothing changed. 3,000 miles from Tree Hill, she still conjured lust and interest. As she stepped out of the car with a jean mini skirt and satin shirt, heads turned to look at her. Marissa stepped from the driver's seat, wearing a short skirt also with a tank top. The two walked confidently out of their car, the fallen queen of Newport and the beautiful stranger.

The population all knew Marissa, but lately she had been depressed and dark. Now, here she was, bright and looking her best, acting like she owned the world. Was she getting back her throne of Harbor?

Summer Roberts came towards the pair, wearing pretty much the same as them. "Hey Ris!" she said enthusiastically. She looked at Brooke with disgust. "Who is _she?_"

Viewers from afar watched the interaction between Marissa and the hot stranger. Rumors already started circulating as clusters of people murmured excitedly amongst themselves. The most popular theory was that, Marissa came out of the closet and the stranger was her hot lesbian lover. Guys salivated at the thought.

"Hey Sum!" Marissa greeted back towards her. But Summer wasn't looking at Marissa, she was looking at Brooke with a look of intense threat. "This is Summer and this is my cousin Brooke. Summer, Brooke. Brooke, Summer."

Brooke immediately took a disliking to Summer. Why was Summer being a bitch towards her? She didn't even know her. Brooke was the queen of Tree Hill. She had never, ever,had someone treat her with such disrespect. Oh for god's sake, she was a freakin' goddess.

"Brooke is from North Carolina. She'll be staying with me," Marissa continued with the introductions, not noticing the tension between the two girls.

Summer crinkled her nose. "North Carolina? Like, ew!"

_If you were in my town, you would die, bitch. _Brooke thought.

Holly and a group of dumb-ass girls came running up to Marissa and Brooke, pushing Summer out of the way. Brooke had dealt with these girls before, and seeing the infuriated look at Summer's face, she decided to make these girls idolize her like the ones at Tree Hill. Summer was obviously afraid of Brooke taking her status, but Brooke would never stand second to somebody else.

Marissa was too used to the sight of WASP-y girls practically salivating over the new girl. After all, she was a WASP herself. "Hey, you guys, this is my cousin Brooke, she's from North Carolina. Brooke, this is Holly and the . . . rest." She said the last part with exasperation and annoyance.

A straight blonde dressed in hot pink pushed her way through. "Wait, North Carolina?"

Brooke nodded.

"Oh my god!" the blonde continued. "It's like so rural there. It's like a farm! How did you survive? And there, like, aren't any shops there."

Brooke tried her hardest not to roll her eyes. "It's not bad out there."

"Don't they have like, tons of pigs and cows running around," A brunette questioned.

Now, Brooke was starting to get a little upset. This girl was just begging for a bitch-slap. "No, they don't. But I mean they have a lot of really nice shops. Sure, it's a little far away. . . Tree Hill."

The girls crinkled their noses in distaste at the mention of such a rural town name.

Brooke continued, "Tree Hill isn't too bad. I mean I was a cheerleader and our school had like the state's best basketball team. So I cheered for them a lot."

Summer smirked in content. _Nobody in the OC liked cheerleaders. They were major whores who just pranced around in short skirts. _

"Ew, god. You were a cheerleader?" Holly remarked. All the other girls nodded their heads in agreement, some flipped their hair in a brush-off way.

Brooke was damn proud of her squad. "Yeah, I was the captain of my squad. And we went to competitions. I was named "Best Choreographer" at this one. . ." Brooke thought of her trophy that was sitting in her room in Tree Hill.

Summer grabbed Holly's arm and the group of girls started to walk away. "Cheerleader?" they scoffed.

Except one girl remained, interested in Brooke's cheerleading skills. In her heart, she had always wanted to be a cheerleader. To be able to prance around in tiny skirts and doing oh-so-cute routines for guys was her dream since she was five years old. When she learned that being a cheerleader was a no-no for the OC, she was devastated. Even more so than when Dolce sold out of that those cute purple crocodile shoes, which was a major bummer.

"Are you coming, CC?" Holly called after her.

Why did rich-girls always have to have the most terrible stuck-up names for each other?

CC shook her head, her perfectly straightened hair swishing around. "I think she's cool. We can't just give her the 'brush-off'".

Summer whipped her head. "Shut up!" she said in a condescending yet peppy voice. (It's possible, by the way.)

"You said you cheer-leaded for basketball, right? I mean that's so much better than water-polo." CC pointed out to the rest.

Brooke snorted. "You have a water-polo team? What, do the guys shave their chest?"

The girls looked at her pointedly.

"Anyways, you must cheer for really hot guys."

Brooke nodded as she thought of Lucas' hot body. Nathan and Jake were really hot too. Even Tim was hot for god's sake. Although that was something she rather not dwell on.

Marissa nudged Brooke in the side. Brooke had completely forgotten that Marissa was standing next to her. Strong and silent was her cousin? Who thought? "Show them the picture of Lucas and everyone else."

Brooke shot her cousin a dirty look. At this point, she didn't really want to think about her dirty-ex. Even though she was becoming fast friends with him, he still cheated, and as much as her heart wanted to forgive him, she couldn't. Brooke pulled out a picture that she always carried with her. It was a picture of the squad and basketball thing for some school event newspaper. They were all in uniform, and Brooke had to admit, Tree Hill had a hot looking bunch.

Girl crowded around her, trying to look at the picture. "That's Lucas." Brooke pointed out.

Several girls expressed murmurs of approval. Lucas perfect blonde hair and blue eyes made him a natural stand-out.

"You're not together with _that_?" Holly asked amazingly.

Brooke tried to put on a bright face. "I dumped him. He was getting sort of _out of line_."

"You know Brooke," Holly said as she wrapped an arm around Brooke's shoulders. "It's cool to have someone new here."

It was official. Brooke was "in."

Holly, Brooke, and Marissa all walked towards the school as the first bell rang as the posse of girls surrounded them.

Heads turned to look at Brooke Davis.

Seth lay on the steps of the school, while waiting for the bell to ring. Ryan sat next to him, studying some book of his. Seth spotted the group of popular girls. Seth rolled his eyes at their antics. He needed to get of the bubble.

But then, Seth caught sight of someone else. Curly chestnut hair, beautiful smile, and the hottest body, she was breath-taking. She was definitely new and not from here. Her dimples deeply imprinted her cheeks and the wind blew her hair back as she was surrounded by Holly and a bunch of Newpsie girls and they walked passed Seth on the steps.

"Did you see that girl?" Seth asked excitedly. This new girl was gorgeous.

Ryan looked up from his textbook with a quizzical look. "Who?"

Seth shrugged, he didn't have a chance anyways.

**starryskyangel1**


	2. Beginning of a New Relationship

**author's note **Yes, I've realized that I haven't posted in like forever. And this fic isn't going to make up for it. But whatever. Read, review if you like.

**Chapter 2 Beginning of a New Relationship **

She was new. From someplace like Tree Mountain or Bush Hill. It didn't really matter. As she tossed her brunette hair back, guys' mouths hung agape.

"Stop drooling!" Summer said sharply as she hit both Seth and Ryain in the stomach. Ryan merely shook his head at her immaturity and unrestricted anger, while Seth doubled over in pain.

"Sum...gasp...Sum...mer," Seth wheezed.

Summer threw a condescending look at Seth. "Stop being a drama queen." She stomped off in her strappy heels.

Seth and Ryan watched her walking away, her shoes clacking with the hallway floor.

Ryan patted Seth on the back. "Are you okay?"

Seth straightened his back. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sort of used to it now. Sort of."

The warning bell rang, and the two pseudo-brothers parted to their classes.

Ryan jogged up the steps to the second floor where his Latin class was. He sat down in one of the tiny seats that were squeaky and the table attached was too small to write on.

The final bell rang, and the new girl walked in conspicuously late.

"Sorry I'm late," she said as she gave Mr. Lavre a dazzling smile.

He looked up. "That's okay, just make sure it doesn't happen again."

Several students looked up in wonder. Mr. Lavre _never _let students in late. It didn't matter if they were disabled or they were on crutches and only had five minutes to walk up the long steps of stairs, they got detention.

"Aw man, that's not fair," a student complained.

Mr. Lavre silenced him with a look. He turned his attention back to her. "You may sit down."

She nodded and sat down to Ryan. Her sweet perfume drifted over to him. "Hey."

He acknowledged her with a nod. "Hey."

"I'm Brooke." She extended out a hand.

He shook it. "Ryan."

She spun in her seat. "Nice to meet you, Ryan."

Ryan didn't say anything.

Brooke closed her mouth. "Right, you don't like talking." She picked up the three papers that were handed out on the desk. "A project?" Brooke exclaimed in disbelief.

Ryan just regarded the papers with annoyance. This would seriously cut in with his soccer practice.

Brooke looked at him. "Partners?"

Ryan assented. He quickly scribbled the Cohen's address on her notebook.

"Alrighty. See you tonight." She smiled.

* * *

"She's coming? She coming! She coming, here!" Seth excitedly said as he bounced around the room. 

"Yes, Seth, she is coming here," Ryan said tiredly as he rubbed his eyes.

"I can't believe that you're not slightly excited that she's coming. I mean Brooke Davis is coming!" Seth jumped up and down.

Sandy walked in the room, beer in hand. "What's up fellas?"

"The hottest girl in school is working with Ryan on a french project," Seth yelled as he drifted into somewhat of a daydream.

Sandy took a sip of his beer. "I didn't know Summer took Latin."

"She doesn't," Ryan said pointedly. He returned to his Physics textbook.

"Oh, so there's a new girl." Sandy looked at Seth all-knowingly.

Seth snapped out of his daydream. "Yup, her name is Brooke Davis. She moved from a town called Tree Hill in North Carolina. She has math first and science fifth."

"Seth. The stalking has got to stop."

The doorbell rang, and Ryan swore that Seth jumped up ten feet. "Seth, chill out." He jogged to the front door. The doorbell rang again when he was standing right at the door. Good lord, where was this girl's patience? He pulled the door open to reveal a crossed looking Brooke.

"My god, how long does it take to get to a door?" She pushed past him into the house.

Ryan ignored the comment, and followed Brooke into the kitchen where Seth and Sandy were sitting. "Sandy, Seth this was is Brooke. Brooke, this is Sandy and Seth."

Brooke took a seat. "Cool. Nice to meet you guys." She grabbed a pudding pack from the five that Seth had set out on the table. "Thanks," she said to a bewildered Seth.

"

pudding," he whimpered.

Sandy gathered his papers from the table. "I'll see you kids later."

"Bye." Brooke and Seth said simutaneously as they continued eating their pudding.

Ryan was really impatient with this girl. They had to work on a project, and god knows how much homework he still had to do after this. "Let's work in my room." He started towards the patio door.

Brooke was confused. "Wait, I thought we were going to work in your room."

"Yeah, I live in the poolhouse."

A devious smiled spread on Brooke's lips. "So you're the poolboy." She rememebered the time when she thought Felix was the poolboy. And that, certainly, had been fun. But Ryan, here, he didn't look like too much fun. In fact, he was just like Lucas - blond, bright blue-eyed, and terribly broody.

Seth took another spoonful of pudding. "Yup, he's my bitch."

"I am not your bitch, Seth." Ryan motioned to the poolhouse.

Brooke threw away her empty plastic container. "It was nice meeting you, Seth." She followed Ryan out the door.

Seth grinned. At least it wasn't a complete disaster. In fact, he thought their first meeting went rather well. There was lots of eye contact and talking. They actually talked. It was a good sign. A very good sign.

Brooke stepped out onto the patio. "Wow," she said as the blessed golden sun of Orange County hit her. First there was a gorgeous sparkling pool, and then there was that magnificent spread of blue ocean. Ryan stood next to her. "This is really pretty."

Ryan apprended the scene. "I know. It is. I was so awe-struck when I first got here. The grandeur."

Brooke waited for Ryan to go on, but he instead he stopped talking and looked in deep thought. Brooding, again. He suddenly spoke, breaking the silence filled with only waves, "We should work on it now."

Brooke nodded. "Yeah." She was miles and miles away from Tree Hill, she didn't need to think about it so much.

* * *

Brooke sat at the lunch table next to Marissa. She took a bite of her sandwich and frowned as the lettuce fell out. 

Summer looked disdainly at Brooke. "Ew, there's mayo all over that."

What was wrong with mayo? "So what?" Brooke shrugged. She picked up the piece and popped it into her mouth.

"There's saturated fat. It has so much bad stuff in it.But I guess you're used to eating that kind of stuff, considering you're from _hick _town and everything.

Brooke gave Summer an evil look. "Bite me."

The other girls watched astonished. Nobody had ever stood up to Summer Roberts. Granted, that she was no Marissa-she was always second-man, but _still_.

"Guys..." Marissa warned.

Summer shut her mouth. The girls stopped listening and went back to picking at their salads.

When Marissa's back was turned, Brooke mouthed "bitch" to Summer. Summer couldn't do anything. Ah, getting the last word in was a great feeling of victory.

* * *

Brooke sat down in one of the big comfy chairs in the library. 

A voice startled her. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Brooke sat up in surprise. She turned to see Seth. "You seriously just scared the shit out of me. I didn't see you."

Seth shrugged. "Most people don't. Anyways..what are you here for?"

Brooke leaned back in her chair. Wow, these leather chairs were rather comfy. "I have Social Committee, but the blonde girls were getting annoying. You?"

"I have a free period. I finished most of my courses early." Seth explained.

Brooke nodded. "Cool." She grabbed a Teen People magazine from her pink magazine and flipped to a random page. After awhile, she noticed Seth staring at her. "What?"

Seth stared at the picture of Ashlee Simpson on the cover.

Brooke blushed. "Guilty pleasure."

"Ah. I see." He plugged his iPod earpiece back in his ear, and continued listening to the music and sketching in a binded book.

Brooke continued watching him with some interest. He looked like the cutest dork ever. "What are you listening to?"

Seth looked up. "Oh, nothing, really, just some Bright Eyes."

Brooke's face crinkled in confusion. "Bright Eyes? Never heard of it."

Seth shook his head. "Typical. Have you heard of Iron and Wine? The Shins? Dashboard Confessional?" Seth tried desperately.

"Ooh! He's the really hot guy, right?" Brooke asked.

"How am I supposed to know? I'm a guy, I don't have opinions on that kind of stuff."

Brooke laughed in his efforts to be masculine. "It doesn't make you girly, if you think a guy is hot."

"Sure." Seth smiled as a Death Cab song came on. "Have you heard of Death Cab for Cutie?"

"No," Brooke answered.

Seth's mouth formed a perfect O. "Blasphemy! Here listen." He took of his headphones and handed them to Brooke.

"They're pretty good." Brooke said after awhile. She had listened to Peyton's punk her whole life, and she gotten used to it, although the music was still pretty bad. But now, this was more mellow, with the same underlying sadness, but slower and calmer.

Seth took the headphones that Brooke handed back to him. "I know. Death Cab is my favorite band... You should come over and listen to some of my music. I have tons of records."

Brooke smiled. "Okay. Where do you live?"

"You were just there, you worked with Ryan on the french project, didn't you?"

"Wait, you guys live in the same house?" Brooke asked in amazement.

Seth nodded, he thought Ryan had already covered this with her. Obviously not. "Yeah, didn't you see Sandy? That's my dad. I would've thought the Jew-ness, Jew-fro, and eyebrows would be a giveaway."

"Oh." Brooke couldn't think of a better word to say. "I'll have Marissa drop me off."

Now it was Seth's turn to be confused. "Marissa?" What did this new girl have to do with the anorexic step-aunt of his? Maybe she was trying to turn Brooke into one of those WASPs!

"She's my cousin."

Seth gaped. Too late, she was already a WASP. Wait, this also meant that she was related to him. Ew, how sick was this? Damn his grandfather for going after young, flamboyant, evil evil, gold digging Julie Cooper. Damn him.

Seeing how Seth was rendered speechless. "So I'll see you at seven-ish?" She smiled a brilliant smile.

Seth was about to stammer out the fact that they were related, when he realized that it might screw up his chances with her. "S-sure. I'll see you."

"Bye!" Brooke said as she skipped out of the room.

Seth's heart beat. He may have fallen in love again. With a girl named Brooke Davis.

**author's note** II hope you enjoyed the long chapter. Truthfully, it's one of the longest I've ever written.


	3. Make a Move

**author's note **I realized I made a mistake last chapter. I said French instead of Latin. The class Ryan and Brooke shared was originally French, until I realized that Summer took French some episode about asking if the article of house was masculine or feminine (hello, FEMININE, that was one of the first words I learned, easiest word ever). Anyways, as most writers know, it's a pain in the neck to edit a chapter once it's up and posted. Or maybe, I'm just too lazy.

Last chapter was really really really short. I'm trying to make chapters longer. Last year, I would write chapters so very long.

I appreciate the reviews a lot too. Thank you very much.

**Chapter 3 Make a Move  
**

Brooke sat on Seth's bed, leaning against the headboard, examining the many CD cases Seth owned. "Wow, you have tons of CD's."

"Yea. I basically just spend my money on CD's and comic books and PS2 games. Not like that's what I spend all my time on. Because...it's not," Seth stammered.

"That's cute."

"Cute? Wow. I'm not going for cute. That makes me sound like a seven-year-old. But hey, if that gives me some points, I'll settle for that."

Brooke laughed. "You ramble. A lot."

Seth shrugged. "That's me. Your incessant rambler."

"Here. Think fast." Brooke tossed him a CD case.

Seth didn't exactly have fast reflexes. The CD hit case hit his arm. Ow. Pain. "The Killers' Hot Fuss. You're getting there."

"I just picked that CD because that guy is really hot."

"Brooke, you're killing me."

"Sorry," Brooke said apologetically. Peyton had tried to convert Brooke to punk music, but then stopped trying quickly after. Brooke had already listened to several CD's worth of songs. It was nice though, just to chill out and relax at Seth's house with no pressure. A really nice change.

Seth got up and stretched his arms above his head. "I'm starving, let's get some food."

In the kitchen, Seth opened the refrigerators and cupboards, looking for something to eat. "We don't really have much. My mom can't cook."

Brooke grabbed an apple from the fruit basket on the counter. "I can't cook either, none of my rich friends I knew in my old town could cook either. It's rich-kids syndrome."

Seth leaned against the kitchen counter. "I think you're right. My mom is an ultimate WASP, and I can't cook."

"What about your dad and Ryan?"

Seth pulled out two EasyMac packages from the cupboards, and waved it in the air. Brooke nodded. "My dad is from the Bronx, so he's a mean griller. And Ryan, well he can make killer pancakes, but then again, he's not from here."

"Where's he from?"

Seth was about to explain and blurt out the whole Chino story, but he refrained right before the words came out. Maybe Ryan didn't like people to know. Maybe it was cause of embarrassment. "I think that's for him to tell you."

Brooke eyed Seth with suspicion. "Oohh...mysterious and dark."

Seth set one bowl in front of Brooke and handed her a spoon. "Actually, I don't know much about his past either. It's like this forbidden door of Ryan Atwood labeled, 'Thou shalt not enter'."

"Nice metaphor."

"I try." Seth pondered with a spoon in his mouth. "Wow, I really don't actually know anything about him. I don't even know when his birthday is. I mean, I've known him for more than a year. His birthday has passed, some time."

"Maybe he's like forty, and he doesn't want you to know."

Seth looked at her. "Please don't tell me you were just being serious. That was seriously a Summer moment."

Brooke wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Don't talk to me about Summer."

Seth's curiosity was peaked. "Why not?"

Brooke sighed dramatically. "She's my sworn enemy. She's such a bitch. I mean, she didn't even know me, and she was passing all this judgment on me. Everyday, she is trying to exploit me in some way or another. Any guy who goes out with her is clearly psychotic."

Seth whistled and waved a hand. "Hello...ex-boyfriend, here."

Brooke choked on her mac and cheese. "Are you fucking serious?"

Seth was surprised at her reaction. Summer was hot. Every guy in Newport liked her. Plus, she was the first girl to mature in sixth grade. He was a _guy_, afterall. "Serious as a heart attack." Ew, corny. Seth shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "She's hot." Seeing Brooke's death glare, he quickly added, "Although not as hot as you. She doesn't hold like a candle to you. I mean seriously, you are smokin' hot."

Did he just admit out loud that he thought Brooke was hot? Oh no. Yes he did.

Brooke blushed. "Thanks Seth."

Seth was too mortified at himself to speak.

Brooke looked at the clock above Seth's ahead. "Oh, it's getting late, I should go home. Thanks for the food Seth." She placed the bowl in the sink. "I'll see you later."

Seth was speechless.

Brooke collected her light jean jacket and backpack.

"Do you need a ride or anything?" Seth asked, finally forcing some noise out of his throat.

Brooke smiled. "The sun's still up. I sort of wanted to walk. You know, enjoy the weather."

Seth nodded dumbly. "Yeah, so I'll see you at school." He walked Brooke to the door, and opened the door for her.

"Bye." She waved to him as she skipped down the driveway.

Seth held out a hand. "Bye." After she was out of sight, Seth closed the door and leaned against the back of it with his eyes squeezed shut. _That could not have been any more embarrassing._

_

* * *

_

"I hate her," Summer Roberts declared. She blew her freshly painted hot pink fingernails dry. "Her voice is all low and raspy too. She sounds like a man," she, once again, affirmed.

Marissa sighed at her best friend's behavior. "She's my cousin," she said exasperatedly.

"I still **hate **her." Summer pouted. "And now Cohen is practically acting like a dog when he's around her." Jealousy twinged in her.

Marissa twirled before her vanity. "You could still _try _to be nice to her."

"Never, I can't stand Brooke," Summer stated.

"Nice to know what you think about me, Summer," Brooke said casually as she walked into Marissa's room.

Marissa looked at Brooke. "B, she doesn't mean it."

"Oh yes I do."

Marissa glared at Summer. "No. She _doesn't_."

Brooke grabbed a brush from Marissa's vanity. "It's okay M. I can't stand her either." She walked out of the room.

Summer scoffed. "See! That's what I mean, Coop."

Marissa rolled her eyes, knowing that she would never be able to assuage the situation between Summer and Brooke. Girls will be girls, and they better have their cat fight soon because this was starting to give her a headache.

* * *

Seth paced in Ryan's pool house. "What can be more _embarrassing _than saying she was hot? And I said it repeatedly."

"Well, how did she take it?" Ryan asked, he had been listening on and off so far. The key to listening to Seth Cohen was just to nod when Seth took a breath after a long rant and to look thoughtful the rest of the time.

"She was all _cool _with it. Like, she was so casual. But what if she thinks I'm really creepy or really weird"

"you are really weird."

"...or really obsessed and freaky."

Ryan tried to recall the fragments of Seth's talking that he had actually listened to. "Wait, so you called her hot." Ryan cocked his head.

"I called her 'smokin' hot'. I don't think it could go any worse."

"I doubt she really thinks you're weird."

"Well I would."

_Well, I would too._ But Ryan kept that in his head. "She is hot, though. And she knows it. It's not like a newsflash to her. Some guys probably have already said the same thing."

"Woah, you can't think she's hot. She's mine." If Ryan liked Brooke, he could most definitely get her with those big bulging muscles. He needed a way to make sure that Ryan didn't hit on her in any way. Seth knew he was being selfish, but he didn't care. He really really like her. "She's Marissa's cousin."

Ryan's face contorted. "Yeah, she's off limits."

Seth did a little happy dance. In his mind, of course.

"But she is related to you."

"Not by blood," he pointed out.

"True."

"It'd still be weird, wouldn't it?" Seth asked.

"Yea. It would."

* * *

Brooke came over again to finish the Latin project with Ryan. 

Ryan and Brooke stepped back to examine their poster laying on the floor of the poorhouse.

"It looks good," Brooke announced.

"Yeah. It's okay." Ryan bent down and picked up the poster. He rolled it neatly and set it in a corner of the room. "Alright, I guess we're done here." He gently pushed Brooke towards the door.

Brooke was slightly hurt. "Um. Is there a reason you're shoving me out of the pool house?" She turned defiantly towards him. "Do you not like me, or something? I'm getting this really weird bad vibe from you."

"Are you afraid that I'm because I'm this Chino criminal that I'll steal from you or something?" Ryan asked, slightly pissed off. Why wouldn't this girl leave already?

Confusion took over Brooke. "What?"

Ryan realized that she didn't know anything about his Chino past. Wouldn't Marissa or Summer have caught her up with everyone and their individual stories? They were cousins. Or maybe, they just weren't very close. Hm. "Nothing," he muttered.

Brooke realized this as what Seth had described as the "door that should remain closed" (or something like that). "Oh. Okay." Brooke grabbed her purse and walked out the door, when she bumped into someone. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

"Brooke?"

"Marissa?" Brooke asked as she recognized her cousin." What are you doing here?"

Marissa tucked a piece of hair back and looked at Brooke accusingly. "I guess I could ask the same thing." She flooked suspiciously between Brooke and Ryan.

"She's working with me on a Latin project," Ryan spoke up. He scanned Marissa's appearance. "What are you doing here?"

Marissa shifted her gold clutch from one hand to another. "Just wondering whether you wanted to get a Balboa Bar...or something. But if you're busy working with Brooke..."

Ryan still felt slightly awkward around her. Sure, things had less tension, and the night that Lindsay left, they shared a comforting moment at the beach. But..._still_. "We just finished on the project."

Brooke looked at the pair uncomprehendingly. There was obviously _something _going around, and the tension was really thick. Really think. And really suffocating. She'd ask Seth once she figured out an escape plan. "So um..." Brooke started.

Ryan kept on looking at Marissa trying to decipher her real intentions, while Marissa was trying to figure out where they stood.

Brooke groaned inwardly. The staring contest had got to stop. "Right. So. I'm just going to go now." She breezed past Marissa. "I'll see you later, M," she called over her shoulder. She hopped over to the main house, in hopes of finding Seth.

Marissa just stared as her giddy cousin bounced off, leaving her in this weird, weird, weird situation. Evil Brooke. "She was the captain of the cheerleading squad at her old school," she explained as Ryan watched with a look of perplexity.

_That explains a lot_. Ryan brooded for a second, but what else was new. "'ll take you up on your offer. As long as you're paying," he said with a bit of a smile.

Marissa smiled back. "Alright, my car is in the driveway."

As Ryan sat in the passenger seat of her car, and they started to argue about the radio station to play, Marissa relaxed. _This is so natural. _The car accelerated as it exited the Cohen's driveway.

* * *

Brooke rapped on the door with a lively rhythm as she passed the doorway of Seth's bedroom. As she expected, he was sitting on his bed, reading a comic book. 

Seth set down the glossy comic book and looked at Brooke. "What's the point of knocking if you don't even wait for a response?"

Brooke plopped down on his blue and white striped bed spread. "Well if you were doing something embarrassing, you would have time to turn around and zip up your pants," she said as looked at Seth suggestively.

"I would lock my door if I was doing _that_."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So why are you up here acting giddy? .. Oh wait, you're a perky cheerleader. You always act like this."

Brooke frowned. "That was bad."

Seth grimaced. "That was pretty lame."

"So what's going on with Blondie and M?" Brooke asked.

"Blondie and M? You sound just like Sum" he was cut off by the pointed look from Brooke's direction."Sorry."

"What's the gossip behind them?"

"The gossip?"

"Their history."

"Their history?"

'Yeah. Like what has happened between them?" Brooke asked exasperately.

Seth whistled and looked up at the ceiling.

Why was Seth being so damn evasive? Brooke grabbed his comic book and smacked the back of his head with it.

"Hey! That's one of the best ones I have." Seth reached for the comic book, but Brooke held it out of his reach. He tried to reach for it again, but Brooke jumped up this time. She waved it tauntingly over her head. "Give it back. Now."

Brooke just laughed and started to run out of the room.

"Oh no you don't," Seth muttered as he chased after her. He could hear her laughter echoing in the halls of the empty house.

Brooke ran downstairs, nearly tripping. (Stairs were out to get her.) She ran around the living room. She stood on one side of the room, while Seth stood on the other, still gleefully waving his prized possesion around.

Seth started to dart from side to side to confuse her. Left. Right. Left. Right. Seth chose to run left. Brooke ran the same way. They circled the living room twice before Seth cut in the middle, catching Brooke in surprise. He tackled her to the couch.

Brooke yelped as she felt Seth's body pressed against hers on the couch. Her back lying completely on the couch, she looked in Seth's eyes. She noticed how close their faces were. Her breathing stopped. She never before noticed how long his eyelashes were, or how deep and expressive his eyes were.Seth's body tensed on top of hers.

He started to whisper, "Brooke-", but she cut him off with a kiss.

**author's note: **I don't really know how long this is, but I hope it's long. I really do. Reviews would be nice...but if you don't like the story...no reason for you to review, is there?


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